Turbine water-wheel



(ModeL) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. I

w -I. SHERGK. Turbine Water Wheel. No. 242,482. Patented June-7,1881,

WITNESSES 4 V 'IYNVENTOR ATTORNEY N. PETERS. PhMmLllhflgY-whur, Washingiun. D. C

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 (ModeL) I SHEROK Turbine Water Wheel.

Patented June 7,1881.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY N. PETERS, Phchrulhagwphef. wmin zun. 11c

(ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' I. SHERO'K. Turbine Water Wheel.

No. 242,482. Patented June 7,1881.

W1 NESSES INVENTOR V WK ATTORNEY NTTE STATES PATENT rare ISAAC SHEROK, OF FREMONT, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, \VM. F. JOBBINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND GEORGE E. RAYMOND, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

TURBINE WATER-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,482, dated June '7', 1881.

Application filed December 17, 1880. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISAAC SnnnoK, of Fremont, in the State of Ohio, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in Turbine ater-Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription ot'the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accom- 1o panying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in turbine water-wheels, the object being to provide a wheel of this type in which the maxir 5 mum power of the water may be utilized; further, to decrease the wear between the gate and wheel case; further, to allow of the ready adjustment and leveling of the gate, and to obviate wear and friction in its bottom; fur- 2o ther, to provide pivoted gate-win gs adapted to be automatically opened and closed by actuating the gate; further, to furnish a globe case, in which the water may flow in acircular path completely around the wheel, and in the same direction as that of the wheel; further,

to provide the casing of a wheel of such construction that access to the wheel may be readily had without disturbing or removing the stuffing-box for the wheel or gate spindles;

0 further, to provide simple and efficient means for securing the top of the casin g to the main portion thereof; further, to provide means for preventing any accidental displacement of the gate, and also take any undue strain or wear 5 off from the worm-gear by means of which the gate is rotated; further, to provide simple and eflicient connections between the gate and its rack; and with these several ends in view my invention consists in the several de- 0 tails in construction and combinations of parts in a turbine water-wheel, as will hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of a turbine water-wheel embodying my invention. Fig. -2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a view, in side elevation, of the wheel proper. Fi 4: is a view, in perspective, ofone of the buckets. Fig. 5is a view, in side elevation, of the wheel-case. Fi

6is a horizontal section taken through theports ot' the wheel-case. Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken through the gate and wheel-case, showing the devices employed for adjusting the gate vertically. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the gate with the wooden bear-' ing, serving as a laterally-adjustable bearing for the gate. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of one of the vertically-adjustable hearings, upon which rests the bottom of the gate-ring. Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of one of the pivoted gate-wings, showing it in its open position. Fig. 11 is a similar view showing it in its closed position. Fig. 12 is a view, in perspective, of one of the pivoted gate-wings. Fig. 13 is a view, in perspective, of one of the gatewings, and a section of agate-rin Fig. ltis a detached view showing the manner of attaching the top of the globe-case to the main portion thereof. Fig. 15 is a plan view of the interior of the globe or penstock case. Fig. 16 is a plan view of the under side of theerownplate and ring connected therewith. Fig. 17

is a plan view of the wheel, the upper portion of the globe-ease being removed. v

A represents the globe or penstock case. It is provided with an induction -openin g, a, through which water is admitted to the wheel. The periphery a of the case, together with the inwardly-projecting flat flange (1?, are made of a single casting.

B is the casing of the wheel 0. Casing B is constructed with a horizontal flange, b, which rests upon the flat flange a of the globe-casing, and is secured thereto by means of pivoted lugs b, which latter are secured in place by means of screw-bolts b Wheel-casing Bis also provided with a downwardly-projecting flange, having perforated cars If, to which are removably secured the opposite ends of the step-bar I), by means of screws 7) extending through the depending ears I) and flanges 1) formed on the ends of the step-bar 12 An adjustable conical step-bearing, c, is inserted through the center of the step-bar, the conical end thereof entering a corresponding bearing in the lower end of the wheel-spindle C. By raising or lowering the step c the wheel may be secured in any desired vertical adjustment.

Wheel casing B is provided with any desired number of vertically-adjustable bearings, B, which are located in the horizontal flange I), and serve to support the lower ring, d, of the gate D. Bearings B are adapted to be vertically adjusted by means of screws B which latter have pointed or wed ge-shaped ends, that engage with the under sides of the bearings, whereby the latter may be raised to any desired point.

The object of providing adjustable bearings for the gate is to obviate the wear on the lower gate-ring and the horizontal flange of the wheel-casin Further, the friction between the gate and casing is materially reduced, for thefollowing reason: Vhen thegate rests upon the flange of the wheel-easing and has a continuous bearing thereon, any sand or abrasive substances that may find lodgment between the bottom of the gate and the supportingflange of the wheel-casing will operate to cut and wear away the gate and casing, and also materially increase the friction between such parts, so that an undue amount of power is necessary to adjust the gate.

By employing vertically-adj ustable bearings for supporting the gate the weight and wear are transferred upon said bearings, instead of upon the gate and casing, and when the bearings become unduly worn they may be vertically adjusted to take up for any such wear. These bearings may be renewed when desired. Should sandwork in between the gate and casing it is enabled to escape without wearing the parts, as the supporting-bearings are adjusted so that the gate will be slightly raised above the supporting-flange of the wheelcasin g.

The top ring, d, of the gate D is provided with radially-adjustable wooden bearings D, (three or more,)eachof whichis provided with an elongated slot, (1 throughwhich is inserted a screw, (1 The inner ends of these wooden bearings are forced in snug contact with the upper ring, at, of the wheel-ease. The purpose of these wooden bearings is to take up any wear between the gate and wheel-case. Should any sand find its way between the gate and wheel-case both parts will be worn, and considerable friction is the result; but by employin g the wooden bearings the wear and friction are niateriallylessened. These bearings may be made of any hard wood, and are so constructed that the ends of the grain of wood will bear against the upper ring of the wheelcase.

The wheel-case is provided with any desired number of inclined ports E. The rear wall, 0, of each port is chambered, as at c, in order to provide ample clearance and lessen the frictionof the water as it passes through the ports to the wheel.

To the horizontal flange are secured upright pivots c eq'ualfiin number to the number of ports in the wheel-case.

Upon each upright or vertical pivot c is pivoted a gate-wing, F, the latter having ears 6 formed on its rear side and near its forward end. Gate-wing F is of such length that its rear end will swing around and fit against the rear wall or edge,f, of the adjacent port in the wheel-case, and when in such open position the inner surface of the gate-wing and the inclined inner wall of the port will be in alignment, thereby forming a straight chute for the passage of the water to the wheel. Each gatewing is provided at its forward end and on its lower edge with an arm, F, which engages with the outer edge of the lower ring of the gate, said edge having notches or depressions F formed therein. When the gate is wide open the rear end of the gate-wing will fit against the rear wall or edgc,f, of the port in the wheel-case, and project slightly beneath the forward edge, 1', of the partition F of the gate. In this position the arm F will engage with the smooth or circular portion f of the edge of the gate-ring, and the gate-wing will be securely held against displacement. By turning the gate so as to contract the openings of the ports the rear ends of the gatewings are retained in place by means of the arms F fitting against the edge of thelowcr gate-ring. \Vhen the gate is completely closed the arm F falls into one of the notches or depressions F thus allowing the rear end of the gate-wing to ride up onto the rear edge of the partition F and thus form a complete cut-off. This form of pivoted gate-wings is most efficient in operation, as they enable the ports to be opened or closed and preserve the form of the chute under all degrees of adjustment.

The gate-wings are securely retained against accidental displacement, and the construction and arrangement of parts are simple, of small initial cost, not liable to disarrangemcnt, and easy of operation.

The upper and lower gate-rin gs are beveled upwardly from their outer to their inner edges, for the purpose of directing the flow of water upwardly against the buckets ofthe wheel, and thus assist in sustaining the weight of the wheel and lessening its friction on its bearings, and also obviate the tendency of the water to slip on the buckets.

Wheel 0 is provided with buckets Gr, which are secured at their upper ends to the crown G and at their inner edges to the drum G Buckets G extend outward tangentially from the drum G the outer ends thereof being provided with sides g, the forward edges of which are made sharp, so as to constitute cutters and prevent any undue friction of the water as it strikes the sides of the bucket, but deflect the water into the buckets. The lower ends, g, of the buckets are rearward] y inclined, to form an inclined downward discharge, and thereby cause the weight of the water to assist in inr parting rotary movement to the wheel.

At the juncture of the vertical and rearwardly-inclined portions of the buckets there is formed a horizontal surface, H,which serves to form a pocket in the bucket for holding the water against the vertical portion ofthe buckets until its reaction force is utilized, and then allow the weight of the water to act on the rearwardly-inclined portion of the bucket. This particular feature in the form of the buckets I consider as of great value and importance. In the ordinary form of bucket the vertical and inclined portions are connected by a curved surface, or else the bucketis on a gradual curve from its top to its bottom; but such buckets are objectionable, owing to the fact that the water will slip on the curved portion thereof, and hence the reaction force of the water can be only partially untilized but by providing a pocket at the lower end of the vertical portion of the bucket the water is prevented from slipping, and thus the maximum force due to the weight and reaction force of the water is utilized in imparting motion to the wheel.

The globe or penstoek case is formed on a true circle, thereby insuring a continuous circular passage, H, around the gate, and thus allows the water to enter the case at right angles to the wheel and flow through the gate and be discharged into the buckets. Should there be any surplusage of water it will flow around the wheel in a true circle and mingle with the supply, thus preventing any disturbance of the flow or reaction of the current due to abutments or partitions in the casing as ordinarily constructed.

The globe casingis constructed with a ledge or flange, H, with which engage the hooked ends 6 of the screw-bolts I, which are used to fasten the casing-ringJ to the top of the case.

, The hooked bolts are first inserted in the easing-ring J and the latter placedin position when the hooked ends of the bolts are turned beneath the ledge or flange H, and the nuts H? then being turned down the casing ring is firmly secured in place.

K is the crown-plate of the wheel-case, and is secured to theeasing-ring by means ot'screws or bolts inserted through the lugs K, attached to the casing-ring J, and screw K inserted through a bracket, K attached to the frame K, in which the gate'operating devices are located. The crown-plate K is provided with a stuffing-box, L, in which is located the upper end of the wheel-spindle. This construction of-casing renders it an easy matter to gain access to the wheel without removing the crownplate K, and hence not disturbing the stuffingbox. It is simply necessary to loosen the hooked bolts I and screws K K and lift the casin g-rin g J, with its gate-operatin g mechanism attached thereto, and thus render the wheel and gate accessible without necessitating the removal of the crown-plate or disturbing the stuffing-box of the wheel shaft or spindle.

M is gate-rack, provided at one end with a segmental rack, m. Gate-rack M is journaled at its central portion upon the hub or stuffingbox L of the crown-plate. To the opposite ends of the gate-rack are attached the pins N N, which extend downwardly through elongated "slots at in the casing-rin g and through the slide-plates O 0, located beneath the elon' gated slots at, the lower ends of said pins entering holes 0 0 formed in the upper gate-ring. Slide-plates O O are retained in place by means of keepers P P. Thus it will 'be observed that the gate-raek engages with the opposite sides of the gate and distributes the power equally to the same i'oradjusting it. The slide-plates serve to prevent any escape of water through the elongated slots n in the casing-ring.

The pins N N, being constructed and arranged to enter holes in the upper ring of the gate, allow the casing-ring to be removed without distur ing the gate or its actuating mechanism.

Within the frame K attached to the casing ring is journaled a worm-shaft, Q, which engages with a worm-gear, Q, mounted on a shaft, q. Pinion Q is also rigidly secured to the shaft (1, and meshes with the segmental rack m. Hence the wornrshaft being turned serves to move the gate-rack and open or close the gate, according to the direction in which the worm is revolved.

To the end of the shaft q is secured an arm, R, having an adjustable counter-weight, S, secured thereto, the purpose of which is as follows: The tendency of the gate-wings is to close, which is due to the pressure of water against them. To counteract such force and relieve the worm-shaft and gear of undue strain I employ the counter-weight S, the latter operating in opposition to the force exerted on the gate-wings. I may connect the counter-weight with the gate, so as to balanceit in other positions than that shown and describedas, for instance, it may be made separate and distinct from the gate-operating mechanism and op crate in connection with a rack attached to the gate.

Any suitable packing is located over the joint formed between the wheel-case and gate, and the packing is secured in place by means of clips.

I am aware that a turbine wheel is old wherein the wheel proper is located within a scrollcase, the latter being constructed with an inner and an outer case. The inuercase is concentric with the wheel, and is provided with stationary guides, which extend outwardly into the water-passage of the scroll. A gate is located in the scroll and arranged so as to cut off the water from a portion of the wheel-buckets, when desired. Hence I would have it understood that I make no claim to the construction and arrangement of parts specified. In my improved wheel the globe case is concentric with the wheel-casing, and the periphery of the case is of curved form. Further, the globecase is made independent of the wheel-case and reinovably secured thereto; and, again, the

wheel-case is provided with a series of waterpassages, which are controlled by adjustable gate-wings, whereby all the buckets are supplied with acertain predetermined quantity of water.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a turbine water-wheel, buckets con structed with vertical and rearwardly-inclined portions, having a pocket formed at their point ofjuncture, the vertical portion provided with an outwardly-fiaring side having a cuttingedge, and the rearwardly-inclined portion provided with a side of graduallyincreasing width from its upper to its lower end, substan tially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the wheel-case and gatering, of wooden bearings attached to the gate-ring and adapted to bear against the up per ring of the wheel-case, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the wheel-case and gate-ring, of radially-adjustable wooden bean ings attached to the gate-ring and adapted to bear against the upper ring of the wheel-case, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a wheelcase, of a gate-ring provided with slotted wooden bearings and screws inserted through said bearings for securing the same in any desired adjustment, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a wheel-case and gate, of verticallyadjustable bearings located in the horizontal flange of the wheelcase and adapted to support the gate, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a wheel-case and gate, of bearings located in the horizontal flange of the wheel-case and pointed screws for imparting vertical adjustment to said bearings, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with a wheel-case and gate-1 ing, of gatewin gs pivoted to upright pivots attached to the wheel-case, said gate-wings provided with a hearing at one end on the periphery of the wheel-case and at its opposite end on the edge of the gate-ring, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with a wheel-case and gate, the latter having notches or depressions in the edge of its lower ring, of pivoted gatewings, each provided with an arm that engages the notched edge of the gate-ring, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with a gate havingupwanlly-beveled upper and lower rings, of gatewings pivoted to the wheel-case and adapted to be automatically opened and closed, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination, with a gate and wheelcase, of gate-wings pivoted on their rear sides and near their forward ends to upright pivots attached to the wheel -case, substantially as set forth.

11. In a turbine wheel,the combination, with a globe-case having a fiat flange on its under side, of a wheel-case provided with a horizontal flange and pivoted lugs for securing the wheel-case in place, substantially as set forth.

12. In a turbine wheel, the combination, with a globecase having a ledge or flange on its upper side, of a casingring and hooked bolts and nuts for securing the casing-ting to the case, substantially as set forth.

13. In aturbinewheehthe combination,with a globecase having a casingring secured thereto, of a crown-plate removably secured to said casing-ring, substantially as set forth.

14. In a turbine wheel,the combination,with a easing-ring, of a crown-plate and perforated lugs attached to the ring and overlapping the plate and screws for securing the parts together, snbstantially as set forth.

15. In aturhinewheel,the combination, with the gate, of a gate-rack provided with pins which extend through elongated slots in the casing and enter holes in the gate-ring, and sliding plates located beneath said elongated slots, substantially as set forth.

16. In a turbine wheel,the combination, with the gate-rack, down\mrdly-projecting pins or lugs, and slides, of keepers attached to the under side of the casing-ring and adapted to retain the slides in place, substantially as set forth.

17. In a turbine wheel, the combination of a series of pivoted gates, at gate-rack, a counterbalance-weight, and intermediate eoggearing, said gearing being inclosed in a frame mounted on the top of the wheel, as set forth.

18. The combination, with the gate-rack, of a worm-shaft, worm-gear, pinion, and counterweight-lever, substantially as set forth.

19. In a turbine wheel,the combination, with the wheel, wheel-casing, and a series of adjustable gates encircling the wheel-casing, of a globe-case removably secured to the wheelcasing, said globe-case being constructed with outwardlycurved periphery and arranged concentric to the wheel-casing to form a. waterpassage for the water completely around the wheel-casing, said globe-case being provided with a supply-conduit arranged with relation to the wheelcase, substantially as shown and described, whereby the direction of the current entering the globe-case will be on a line intersecting the gate-wings and outside of the wheel-buckets, substantially as set forth.

20. In a turbine water-wheel, the combination, with the gate-wings, of a wheel-case provided with ports, the walls at one side beingstraight and in line with the gatewvings when open and the opposite sides of the ports having an gular chambers formed therein, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of December, 1880.

ISAAC SI-IEROK.

Witnesses A. W. BRIGHT, ALBERT L. LAWRENCE.

IIO 

